When Crows Take Flight
by hanzsolo2
Summary: What starts as a simple favor leads to a revelation no one was expecting. Between school, family and overly-persistent boys; Emiko Udai learns that it's okay to be passionate about something as she takes on the position of manager for the Karasuno Boys' Volleyball Team. Even if sometimes, that's all there is. Because it's about the journey. It's always been about the journey.
1. The Favour

**All characters, with the exception of Eiko, belong to the creators of Haikyuu!**

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**Chapter One - The Favour **

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It was a rare occurrence for both the Boys and Girls' Teams to join on each other's practice, so when Michimiya brought in the group of girls into their gym without having made prior arrangements; the entire gym fell silent. Startled from their sudden appearance, even Tanaka and Noya were rendered speechless, much to Suga's relief. (Though that might've been because there were more girls around them than they were used to).

Currently, the entire Girls' team stood across from them in a straight line, though Daichi was saddened to see that Michimya and the other third-years weren't in their training gear. Unlike him, Suga and Asahi - Michimiya and her lot had come to the decision to retire after the InterHigh competition. Too disheartened to continue themselves, but motivated still to help their team refine their own skills for the following year.

"Michimiya? What's going on?" Daichi asked, breaking the silence as the girls nervously looked at their seniors. Michimiya, noticeably, looked just nervous. As did Sasaki. The only one who didn't look nervous at all was Aihara. Mao Aihara was in Daichi's class, and from what he knew from Michimiya and from his own recollection - she was the backbone of the Karasuno's Girls' Volleyball Team; their Ace. Her skills were formiddable, and she might've made it as Captain had it not been for her blunt and rebellious attitude.

"We've come to ask you for a favor, as our brother team," Aihara responded bluntly, nudging Michimya to the forefront of the group. Swallowing, Daichi offered Michimiya an encouraging nod before she cleared her throat.

"A favor?" Suga repeated as Michimiya nodded.

"We heard you're looking for a new manager to train to take over, right Shimizu-san?" Michimiya stumbled over her words, glancing to the team's manager. Intrigued, Kiyoko nodded. "Yes, I've been looking but no one seems to be interested." She confirmed quietly.

"There's this first-year we've been trying to recruit for the team," Aihara stated loudly, deciding to take charge with how flustered Michimiya seemed to be. "She's a baseball player - and she's _good_. Her depth perception, game reading, and overall skill are top-notch and I feel like if those skills were applied in Volleyball, she'd be unstoppable. Since we don't have a girls' baseball team, she's been playing with the boy's team...but it's a waste of her talents, and everyone there knows it too. If you saw her play, you'd see what I see when it comes to her potential in Volleyball. Which is why we're here."

Daichi and Suga shared a look, and even the second-years seemed to be perplexed with what they were propositioning. Hinata, ever the loud-mouth that he was, tilted his head. "Well, what does that have to do with us and a new manager?" He questioned, turning to look at Kageyama.

Michimiya smiled sheepishly. "It's a stretch, but Udai-san is not the type to just take our word when we tell her she'll enjoy Volley. She's the type of person who has to see something to believe something, so we thought if she shadowed Shimizu as a manager, she could see just how much her skills could be applied to Volleyball and just how much fun she'd have by seeing you all play."

"Have you asked her to be a Manager for your team?" Tsukishima muttered, ignoring the subtle jab Yamaguchi dug into his side. At that, Michimiya flushed. "Yes, but she didn't want to."

"If she said no to you guys, who's to say she'll agree to join us?" Narita wondered, something that the others didn't want to ask themselves.

Though his question may have have been seen as offensive, Michimiya's eyes flicked to Daichi; a silent plea. "You guys are different," She admitted, "You guys have so much passion, so much _heart_, and dedication that it's bound to move Udai. You guys are inspiring."

Understanding dawned in the boys, and while there were some like Ennoshita who looked conflicted still, and some like Tsukishima who didn't care at all; both the Captain and Vice-Captain stood with empathetic smiles. There didn't need to be a genius in the room to figure out where the two Captains were heading with their decision.

"You must really think she's worth all this trouble if you're barging in on our practice, huh Michimiya?" Suga asked lightly, scratching the back of his neck in earnest.

Michimiya, along with the rest of her team, nodded.

"If Udai-san sees you play, we think it might encourage her to play with us next year." The new Captain, Sudou, reaffirmed with a small nod. "Maybe you guys can teach her a thing or two as well, who knows."

It seemed by now both Noya and Tanaka snapped out of their stupor because Daichi didn't even get to think of a reply before the two were nodding enthusiastically. Most likely eager to let their fellow sister-team know that they could rely on them.

"Of course we'll recruit her as another manager!" The mischevious duo cheered. "Anything to make Kiyoko's job easier!"

Chuckling at their antics, Aihara turned to Shimizu. "Do you think this will be okay? From what I hear, she isn't involved in any clubs. She only practices with the boys' team because she has nothing else to do, so I'm pretty sure she'll agree to join you in management. And she's a fast learner, so there's that."

With a growing smile, Kiyoko nodded. "It sounds fine, I just hope she agrees."

Tanaka and Noya collapsed at the sight.

"Well, what are you doing now?" Aihara continued, eyeing the unmade nets. Daichi shrugged, "We were just going to practice, but since we've fallen behind on schedule, I was probably going to end practice early so Shimizu and I can update the teams' portfolio's for the Spring Tournament with Coach and sensei when they get here."

Aihara nodded before she shared a quick glance with Michimiya.

"Well, if you're not practicing today - why don't you guys join us? Hideo told us to swing by the softball pitch and try again with Udai. They all love her down there, but the VP's been putting pressure on them to get her to join a club. If they're playing, maybe you guys will see just what we mean when we say she has the potential to be ruthless next year if she did Volley."

Daichi nodded at the suggestion, about to turn to his team before a redhead crashed into his shoulder. "I want to see Udai-san!" Hinata cheered enthusiastically, rousing Noya and Tanaka from the ground. "I want to see her play, too!" The duo echoed, just as brightly.

The other members of the team, sans Tsukishima and Kageyama, voiced their agreements; though the duo would most likely follow along since it seemed like everyone would be going. With an amused chuckle, Daichi nudged Hinata back off him before he faced the Girls' Team once more. His decision already made.

"I guess we can all go down to offer the position," He agreed, making the girls break out into matching grins. Then again, was his decision even surprising?

_Dachi is too nice to let us down_, Michimya mused with a blush.

The door to the gym slid open then, and both teams respectively nodded as Coach Ukai and Takeda-sensei walked in. At the sight of both the boys and girls team in the gym, neither practicing nor playing, Coach Ukai's eyebrow flicked up.

"Oh, what's this?" He asked, rounding on Takeda. The teacher frowned, his glasses glinting as he shrugged. "I'm not sure," He answered, readjusting his frames. His eyes darted from Michimiya to Daichi. "I don't remember Michimiya organizing a practice match?"

Daichi waved for the teams to disperse, and as they did, stalked to the two men. It was better they left now if they wanted to see Udai in action. "Coach, sensei," The Captain acknowledged, beginning a brief explanation of what happened.

At first, Coach Ukai seemed to be on the verge of disputing Daichi's decision (because they'd just lost the InterHigh competition and that meant practicing if they wanted another go at the Spring Nationals), but seeing so many of the team look energized as they left the gym, so excited by this supposed baseball player and how they could do _something _made him relent.

After their defeat in the semi-finals, it was clear that they were in dire need of a morale boost. And if winning this girl over to the team helped distract them from their most recent loss; who was Ukai to deny them of such a thing? A win's still a win, and that's exactly what the team needed right now.

"Well alright then," Ukai hummed, nodding towards the door as Daichi started making his way outside. "Who is this girl, anyway?"

For a brief moment, Daichi was quiet, almost as if in deep thought, before: "Her name's Udai."

"Udai, huh?" Ukai asked, suddenly intrigued.

_Now there's a name I haven't heard in a while._

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_**I told myself to focus on one Haikyuu story, but I had this brainfart that I just HAD to write into existence. Please bare with me as I indulge myself with an OC-centric [undecided pairing] story.**_


	2. The Jump

**Chapter Two - The Jump**

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By the time both the boys and girls' Volleyball Teams made it down to the baseball pitch, it was clear that there was a practice game in session. Which made sense since there were a lot more players in the boys' baseball team compared to the volleyball team.

Everyone was dressed in black jerseys, but to differentiate who would be playing on what team; half of them wore a light blue sash around their torsos. The ones wearing the sashes were the team assembled on the field, scattered as they held their gloves.

"Ah, Michimiya!" Hideo, the manager of the Boys' Baseball team, greeted. "You guys back again for Udai, huh?" He asked, dark eyes trailing to the group of boys that had followed. The more energetic members of the group, which included Hinata, Noya, and Tanaka; rushed forward, excitedly waving their arms as they nodded.

Before Michimiya could reply, Hinata cheered. "Yeah!" He blabbered, unaware of the way Daichi had slid up beside him. "We've come to recruit Ud-_ouch_!" He yammered, groaning as his team Captain promptly whacked him on the head before he turned his piercing gaze towards the second-year duo. Under Daichi's stern glare, both Tanaka and Noya wilted; much to Tsukishima and a few of the girls' amusement.

Kageyama cackled at their misfortune.

"Well if you wanted to see Udai in action, you're in luck then," Hideo mused, blinking as he looked down at his clipboard. "Daisuki had to leave early, so Udai's going in as a pinch-hitter for him right now."

The teams shuffled closer towards Hideo, though no one moved past the metal frame that separated them from him. Instead, they watched as a small figure rose from the batting box on the other side of the diamond before Udai stepped into the light.

The girl was not at all what any of the boys had been expecting, and yet at the same time, everything Ukai had imagined when he heard her surname.

Because the first thing Hinata noticed was that she was short, shorter than him even (maybe an inch shorter than Noya) and that she looked lean and wiry. She wore a baseball cap on her head, so they couldn't really see facial features clearly.

But from the glimpse Suga and Asahi got of her from where they stood, she had dark curly hair that was tied messily into two pig-tails, and grey eyes that held a quiet intensity to them. For the teams' Ace, the look in her eyes was almost unsettling, as embarrassing as it was to admit it.

Tsukishima stiffened where he stood next to Yamaguchi, and almost as though triggering his friend, the freckle-faced boy spoke. "She looks familiar," He mumbled, flushing when Sasaki looked over her shoulder. Neither he nor the blonde-giant next to him said anything after that, but Daichi and the second-years who stood next to them did find it peculiar that the middle-blocker had not commented.

Kinoshita nodded towards the blonde, almost as if saying: _Maybe he knows her?_ Ennoshita and Narita nodded. _Probably_.

For many of them, this was the first serious baseball game they'd ever seen, which would explain their uncharacteristic silence.

Udai nodded once at the pitcher, lips pursed into a thin line as she raised her bat. And as she did, many of the Boys' Volleyball Team members, inhaled.

With a snap of the wrist, the pitcher threw the ball; and those like Suga and Ennoshita whistled lowly as it curved mid-air.

Udai did not move.

"Strike one," The back-stop called.

Noya and Tanaka shifted on the spot, beginning to feel anxious. The panicked look they shared with the other was ignored by the others, all of whom kept their attention on the field.

Once the pitcher regained the ball, he rotated his wrists again (Kageyama had yet to tear his eyes away from him) before Udai nodded once more. And just as he had done earlier, he threw the ball in a matter of seconds; the ball hitting the back-stop's glove faster than before. If someone blinked, they most likely missed the action.

Still, just like earlier, Udai did not move.

"Strike two," The back-stop announced.

Moving next to Aihara, Daichi cleared his throat. "Why isn't she hitting the ball?" He asked, his voice echoing the unspoken question many of the boys had begun to wonder.

Shifting herself, Aihara glanced over her shoulder and smiled; knowing and teasing all the same.

"Just wait," was all the former-Ace said, turning back to the game; as did the few who looked at her for an answer. Even though they wanted answers straight-away, the building tension convinced them to wait. If Aihara wasn't panicked, and those who'd seen her play like the other girls in the team; surely they had nothing to worry about.

Behind her head, Udai's bat wavered as she rotated her wrists; the action itself causing Kageyama to turn his attention to her. When he noticed her movements, his eyes narrowed in contemplation.

_She wasn't trying before_, he deduced, frowning. _It looks like she's readying herself now._

The tension that permeated the field was thick, suffocating almost. No one spoke, and no one was looking away. Like Hideo and like the Girls' Team; all the boys were looking at the field.

From his side of the fence, Hideo mumbled under his breath. Last inning, bases loaded, teams are tied. Udai's the last hitter and only needs one hit. One base to cover to ensure a win, three if she wants to win more. A win with a noticeable distance in points is the best kind of win, he says under his breath. Still, his narration made the observing group even tenser, if that was even possible.

Finally, when it seemed as though the tension had reached its climax, Udai nodded with a smirk almost as if to say: _One more_.

The ball soared through the air then, too fast for some of them to see, almost as though it had cracked through the air like lightning. And just as it seemed as though Udai wasn't going to do react again; she moved.

If the pitcher was lightning than Udai was thunder. Her bat swung forward just as quickly, with a reaction-time that was positively insane. A resounding _bang _echoed around the field as the ball connected with her bat and as it did, multiple pairs of eyes widened.

Noya, in particular, felt his jaw drop.

For some of them, it was as though time stopped. Because one moment Udai was at the home base until she wasn't. For someone so small, a disbelieving laugh tumbled out of Tanaka's mouth as Udai sprinted towards the first base.

Her teammate on the third-base ran home, and although that meant that her team technically won; they continued playing. The ball she hit landed in the far distance, and with the outer-fielders sprinting towards the ball; the second and third members of her team reached home.

By the time Udai reached the third-base, the outer-fielders reached the ball and the Karasuno Boys' Volleyball team blinked in shock before-

"GO!" Noya screamed first, leading the charge. "KEEP RUNNING!"

"HOME-RUN!" Tanaka roared as he slapped the former on the back.

It was indisputable, they knew. Udai was _fast_. Maybe even on the same level and capability as Hinata. She'd get to home base in time. That didn't make them any less anxious, however. Especially as the third-baseman ran in front of her, right in her pathway.

_Hah?_

"HE'S BLOCKING UDAI-SAN!" Hinata screamed, completely aghast as he jumped and waved his hands in the air. The others sucked in a deep breath, watching as the center-field chucked the ball towards the middle of the field before they turned back to...to...

Udai…

She was _flying_.

In the time the center-field got the ball and sent it the middle, she pumped her legs hard. Harder than what was humanly possible before she leaped and soared over the boy's head.

_That jump_, Hinata thought as his eyes widened.

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_The ball was set. A pair of shoes skidded before, out of nowhere, a crow took to flight; his small body soaring through the air when suddenly -_

_SLAM!_

_"He nailed it!" The commenter announced. The ball soared, Hinata watched, and the stadium exploded into noise as it landed on the other side of the net. "That makes five points in a row!" _

_"This is the Spring High Nationals Championship. Crowded by players nearly 6'2", that does not stop Karasuno's Tiny Giant from making a huge impact!"_

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"I know that jump!" He burst out suddenly, practically screaming as Udai reached home just in time.

The others quieted from their shouts, their eyes narrowed on Hinata as he looked at Ukai almost pleadingly. Ukai, as if reading his mind, nodded with a wide grin.

"Yes," He answered Hinata's unasked question, the recognition in his voice earning the intrigue of the rest of the team as they looked at him. And that included the girls' team, too.

"You'd recognize that jump, Hinata," he answered, amusedly. "Udai is the younger sister of the Tiny Giant, after all."

And with that sentence alone, the boys exploded into noise once more.

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	3. Emiko Udai: Volleyball Origins

**Chapter Three - Emiko Udai: Volleyball Origins**

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Despite who her nii-san was, and what he had done; Emiko Udai did not enjoy Volleyball.

It wasn't that she hated the sport, but rather, hated how it made her feel. When Tema first brought up the sport, it had been a rainy day, and he'd suddenly burst through the doors as though he were a man on a mission before he announced that he'd joined Karasuno's Volleyball club.

Their parents, naturally, were doubtful with his decision. To them, it was as though her nii-san was signing himself up for failure, for a chance for people to ridicule him as he chased a dream that could never be, a _delusion_. And Emiko could understand why.

Short builds and wiry frames were common in their family, and it was painfully obvious that Tenma was not exempt from such genes. He was short, shorter than other boys his age, and Emiko remembered how suffocated she felt when she watched his first game. How worry gripped her heart to the point she could barely breathe. With how short and lean he was, she remembered thinking how cruel Kami was to have her watch her tiny brother get crushed in a sport meant for giants.

And then her nii-san stepped onto the Court, and suddenly Emiko's entire perspective changed.

She'd forgotten that whilst people doubted him, talked about his dreams as though he were a blind-man waiting to see the sun, her nii-san had been practising. Every hour of the day that he could sacrifice, Emiko remembered seeing her nii-san with a ball in hand. Spiking, setting and of course; leaping at odd hours until his efforts were finally brought to fruition on that particular day.

When her brother took to the court, Emiko remembered how star-struck she felt. Not because of the talent and skill her nii-san displayed, but because of how he held himself as he joined his team. When he stood on that court, her brother wasn't the small and tiny brother that she'd known. Instead, he was a titan among giants. Unburdened by his disadvantages and eager to do something.

That day, Emiko watched with wide eyes and bated breath as her nii-san ran, bent and promptly soared through the air; a true crow in flight. It was the sight of pure passion and drive, and Emiko thought to herself then that she'd endeavor to do the same as her brother, perhaps even more as someone just as small. Because up until then, nothing had ever lit a fire inside her so unyielding as the game her nii-san introduced her too.

So after that first game, she joined in on Tenma's practises. And her nii-san, as loving and nurturing that he was, allowed her. From her brothers' tutelage, Emiko learned how to set, spike, receive and dive without sustaining much injuries. And when she'd mastered those concepts, Tenma taught her how to fly as well, and just as she'd expected - it was everything Emiko thought it would be and more.

When she flew, it was though time stood still and she were the only infinite thing in the cosmos.

Naturally, Emiko wasn't skilled at the sport straight-away. It took her over a year to master the basics before she started working on refining her skills. By then, Tenma had reached the end of his high-school career, and just as Emiko learned how great Volleyball was from her nii-san, she also learned how heart-breaking it could be as well.

Because Tenma Udai, unlike his sisters' persistent fire, was more like wildfire personified. He burned too brightly, too hotly, that by the time it came his third and final year; all that remained of his passion were burnt out hopes and dreams. He didn't get picked up by any College, despite being one-of-a-kind player with a skillset to match. And the same team-mates he saw as his other family all left him, eventually. Some to pursue their own ambitions, though many left to retire themselves to a life of work.

Because the truth, Emiko learned, was that; at the end of the day, Volleyball was only a passing happenence. For people like them who hailed from the country-side, no one paid attention to them long enough to sponsor them to Tokyo or any other of the big cities and institutions. The people who played on the team would all leave eventually, obligated to help out with the many family-owned businesses that existed in the small town of Torono or wherever they were needed.

So really, what was the point?

Her nii-san was so focused on flying on the court that he didn't prepare himself for the turbulent landing that awaited him. With no one offering him the chance to continue playing on a professional level, and with no teammates to fall back on as they left in pursuit of something else; the unseen power that once cloaked her nii-san on the Volleyball court vanished.

Her nii-san no longer wanted anything to do with the sport and Emiko, on her part, wasn't surprised when her Tenma no longer wanted to practise with her. Too invested in the College that did accept him, it didn't occur to him that she had come to her own realizations along with his own.

As much as Volleyball could give her good memories, it could also give her bittersweet ones, too.

It was...it was…

It was just a game.

Nothing more, nothing less.

That year, she withdrew from the Girls' Volleyball Club at Chidoriyama Junior High, even when it seemed as though she was just beginning to make a name for herself as a second-year. Shortly after, she enrolled into the Girls' Baseball Team so she had at least some club under her name. And baseball, while she managed to apply the skills she developed from Volleyball to the game, was fun; Emiko's heart wasn't into it.

Too afraid to feel such things again after seeing what happened to her brother, baseball became just another thing Emiko had to do. Something to pass the time.

And then she was starting high-school, and it seemed as though fate just kept wanting her to get back involved with Volleyball when the Girls' Volleyball Team Captain recognised her. For a brief moment, when Emiko was told Karasuno did not have a Girls' Volleyball Team and Yui Michimiya stood in front of her; it perplexed her with just how conflicted she was about her senior's proposal.

It should've been an easy _no_ for Emiko, but when Aihara approached her soon after and told her of an alternative plan that could get her back involved without really putting her heart and soul on the court, her no slowly became an unsure _maybe_.

And then she spotted both the Girls' and Boy's Volleyball Team watching her as she soared through the sky, and her breath caught in her throat when she locked eyes with a familiar set of gold.

And then that uncertain maybe became a definite okay. Because if Tsukishima Kei could come back to Volleyball after what happened with his brother, than perhaps Emiko could try herself to find out if she could possibly do the same; right?

The only thing she could do was ask and find out.

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